


Hidden in Plain Sight

by JustAnotherMarvelGirl



Series: You and I, Among the Stars [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Futuristic, Alternate Universe - Star Trek, F/M, Secret Relationship, Vulcan!Vision
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherMarvelGirl/pseuds/JustAnotherMarvelGirl
Summary: When a shuttle bearing his best pilot goes missing and his First Officer starts behaving strangely, Captain Tony Stark has to get to the bottom of the issue. What he discovers is beyond his wildest dreams.
Relationships: Tony Stark & Vision, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: You and I, Among the Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059395
Comments: 18
Kudos: 22





	Hidden in Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of working on one of my WIP's, I've decided to make my Vulcan!Vision AU a series lol
> 
> Enjoy!

_Captain’s Log, Stardate 2358.26. The shuttle bearing my best pilot, Lieutenant Wanda Maximoff, and a new recruit, Ensign Helmut Zemo, has failed to make it to the rendezvous point on time. We haven’t been able to establish contact with the missing shuttle and preparations are in place for a search and rescue operation._

***

Tony sighed as he ended his log entry.

It was supposed to be just a simple training mission, a rookie paired with a senior officer, but something had obviously gone wrong.

Tony got up and went to leave his room, intending to head towards the Bridge and begin to sort this mess out, when he heard his door chime.

“Come in,” he yelled, coming face to face with his First Officer. Well, that might have been an euphemism. Vision was one of the tallest members of his crew, which meant that Tony spent most of the time staring at his neck, at best.

“Vision! What can I do for you?”

“Captain,” the Vulcan nodded in acknowledgement, before proceeding with the reason of his unexpected visit. “I would like to request your permission to use the _Avenger_ shuttle.”

“What? Why?” Tony asked, frowning in confusion. One of their shuttles was already missing, why on Earth would he allow his _second-in-command_ to wander off in another?

“Two members of our crew have failed to rendezvous with us. I intend to search for them,” Vision elaborated, but his answer only evoked more questions.

“Alone? Not a chance, Vision, I need you on the Bridge. This is a dangerous profession, and each crew member knows this, knows that every day might be their last. We will do all in our power to find and save Lieutenant Maximoff and Ensign Zemo, but I will not have my First Officer risking his life in pursuit of two members of the crew!” he insisted, and there was a flash of something unrecognizable in his friend’s eyes.

There was a moment of tense silence before Vision nodded, with a terse: “understood,” and turned on his heels.

Tony stared after him, utterly confused by the exchange. Vision seemed different, distracted, and, until that very moment, Tony hadn’t believed that was even possible.

Instead of continuing towards the Bridge, as he had planned, Tony followed his gut and headed towards the shuttlebay. A minute later the hissing of the shuttlebay doors opening and the familiar sight of Vision’s pointed ears proved his hunch correct. Still, Tony couldn’t decide whether to feel proud of his instincts or utterly baffled by his First Officer’s behavior.

“What is going on, Vision?” he insisted, hands on his hips as he stared Vision down.

The Vulcan was staring back at him with something unidentifiable in his gaze, and Tony felt chills run through him.

It was easy to forget the inhuman strength the Vulcans possessed. Just because they prided themselves on having perfect control, it didn’t make them any less dangerous. If anything, it made them more so.

Tony would lie if he said he had never felt the morbid curiosity about what would happen if that control suddenly snapped. He had pushed and pushed in jest, trying to get a rise out of Vision, but he had never believed he would see his Academy roommate and classmate come close to that point.

And yet, inexplicably, Vision seemed to be tethering on the edge of that abyss. For the first time in their long years together, Tony's First Officer looked truly dangerous. It was visible in the darkness of his eyes, the slight tremble of his fingers, clenched in tight fists at his sides.

Instead of doing that cool Vulcan nerve pinch thing or trying to push his way towards the shuttle, as a part of Tony had feared he would do, Vision forced his fists to relax.

“Tony… Please…” he grit out through his teeth, and Tony was momentarily stunned by the use of his first name. It had been three years since Vision had last used it, three years since he had been made Captain and chose the Vulcan as his first officer. Since that day, Vision had always referred to him by his title, always the stickler for the rules, and Tony couldn’t help but stare at his friend, at his pleading gaze.

It was gone in a blink of an eye, but Tony had no doubts about what it was he had seen in his eyes. He had caught a glimpse of some of the ever-elusive Vulcan emotions, ones Vision always claimed didn’t exist, but they had been unmistakable.

Pain.

Longing.

An underlying threat.

And fear…

So much fear, before his eyes were back to their usual emotionless state.

Tony gasped, realization slowly dawning on him.

“There have been many shuttle crises since we have set out on this mission together,” he started, eyes never leaving Vision’s. His mouth was set in a straight line, gaze fixed on the bulkhead behind Tony’s head, but Tony wasn’t fooled. He held his uttermost attention.

“And yet… You have never reacted like this. You have never insisted on going after them, so much so that you would go behind my back. Tell me, Vision, if I explicitly forbade you to leave right now, if I ordered you to stay here, what would you do?” he challenged, neck slightly cramping from craning it for so long, but he refused to be the one to break their eye contact.

“Do not force me to make that choice,” Vision whispered, voice slightly pained, and Tony knew his hunch was right.

If someone had asked him just a day ago to describe Vision, Tony would have said that nothing was more important to him than duty.

But looking at him now, at the stance that called to mind that of a cornered animal ready to pounce, Tony knew something had changed. This was different. One of the two people on that shuttle was different, and important enough for him to be tempted into forsaking his duty.

When could that have happened? Vision surely wouldn’t risk everything for a fling, and there simply hadn’t been enough time for him to get to know Zemo that well, so it had to be Maximoff. But how was it possible that some sort of a relationship had developed between them without anyone suspecting a thing?

Without _him_ suspecting a thing?

“How long?” Tony asked, squinting at the Vulcan before him, only to be met with Vision’s: “I am unsure of what you mean.”

Tony ran his hand over his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Don’t bullshit me, Vision! How long?” he hissed.

There was a moment of silence as Vision weighed his options, before Tony heard his silent admission.

“We have been married for two years.”

“Married?!” Tony squeaked out, voice turning high-pitched in the face of his surprise.

What?

How?

When?

There were so many questions, but the urgency in Vision’s voice as he spoke again made him put a raincheck on those.

“Affirmative, Captain. Which is why I _must_ go after her. And I cannot wait for the ship to be ready. I need the shuttle,” Vision insisted, and Tony sighed.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you. And we are going to have a long talk on the way to their last reported location,” he stated, only to be met with Vision’s frown.

“But, Captain, it is against regulations for the Captain and the First Officer to go on the same shuttle. It is too dangerous.”

Tony snorted, shaking his head.

“Really, Vision? You want to quote regulations to me right now? Because I’m pretty sure it is not standard procedure to go after a missing shuttle with another shuttle,” he countered, and Vision tilted his head slightly.

“Point taken,” he conceded with a small nod, before wordlessly heading towards the _Avenger_. Tony stood still for a few moments, before running to catch up.

“Stark to Danvers, you have the con. I’m taking the _Avenger_ to search for Maximoff and Zemo,” he commanded into his communicator.

“What about Vision, Sir?” his _third-in-command_ asked, a faint surprise clear in her voice.

“There are indications that foul play was at work here, and that time is of essence. I will need his expertise. Take care of my ship while we’re gone, will you?” he demanded, and was met by a: “yes, Sir” from his communicator.

He was silent while Vision did the preflight checks and led them out of the shuttlebay, but after five minutes he couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Okay, spill it!” he insisted, hopping off the co-pilot’s chair and pacing the cabin. “When did this happen?”

“We got married two years and fifteen days ago, while we were both on leave on Vulcan. But I assure you, Captain, nothing had been happening between us at the time when I recommended her for a position on the USS _Marvel_. That recommendation had been made based on her skills and her skills alone,” Vision explained, and Tony nodded. Even if they _had_ been involved back then, it wouldn’t have mattered. The Lieutenant’s piloting skills spoke for themselves.

“Ok, but how? How is it possible that no one had noticed anything for such a long time?” he asked, still quite baffled by the fact. “Do you even see each other? I mean, you don’t even have shared quarters!”

“These two years have been filled with many stolen moments. We were careful, of course, but, with all due respect, Sir, the majority of our crew is human, and humans are not very observant,” Vision stated, the smug bastard that he was, and Tony’s mouth dropped open. He wished he could claim differently, but the very fact that Vision had kept his marriage a secret for two years would undermine any argument he could think of.

“But _she’s_ human! How did _you_ , Mr. ‘emotions hold no sway over me,’” Tony said, doing his best to imitate his voice and stressing his point with air-quotes, “end up with a passionate woman like her?”

“Perhaps,” Vision replied, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards, “it is precisely the fact that we are different what makes us fit together so well.”

Tony nodded, looking back on all their interactions that he had witnessed, but it had never even crossed his mind that love could be a possibility for his First Officer, let alone love with another member of his crew.

He was still deep in thought, trying to wrap his mind around the new revelations, when the familiar beep from the shuttle’s console drew his attention back to the present.

“Enemy vessel approaching,” the AI he nicknamed “Friday” warned, and Tony jumped into the co-pilots seat, quickly locking the Kree ship as a target. He was about to give the command to fire when Vision’s face turned as white as a sheet.

“Stop! Hold your fire!” he choked out, and Tony’s fingers stopped midair.

“What? Why? You know as well as I do that we’re at war with the Kree,” Tony asked, frowning at his _second-in-command_.

“She’s on that ship,” Vision claimed, eyes wide, and Tony just stared at him in shock.

“How could you possibly know that?”

He knew Vulcans were telepathic, everyone did, but he was also aware that physical touch was required for the telepathic transfer to happen. There had been rumors of Vulcans being able to hold conversations in their minds, but Tony had always dismissed them as nothing but hearsay.

Still, he had to make sure.

“Wait, can you read my mind? Have you been reading it all these years I’ve known you?”

Vision shook his head slightly, a barely-there movement, before speaking again.

“No, I would need to touch you. But with her, it’s different. She and I are bonded, I don’t need the touch to feel when she’s near, to hear her in my mind…” he clarified, just as there was an incoming hail from the Kree vessel.

“Lieutenant Wanda Maximoff to the _Avenger_ shuttle, please respond,” the Lieutenant’s voice filled the cabin, and Tony could see some of the tension melt away from Vision’s body.

“This is the _Avenger_ , we hear you” Vision replied, voice shaking just slightly, but it was clear how much the worry had been affecting him. The Vulcan that Tony knew had perfect control of his body and voice at all times, and even this tiny slip up made it obvious how shaken he was.

“Requesting permission to trail you back to the USS _Marvel_ in the captured ship, _Commander_ ,” she stated, and Tony gasped. Had she always pronounced it like _that_? Surely he would have noticed, wouldn’t he? He raised an eyebrow at his _second-in-command_ , challenging him to keep going, since it was clear that she had no idea her husband wasn’t alone, but Vision was once again a picture of pure professionalism.

“Request granted, Lieutenant. However, our scans reveal only one lifeform on the vessel. What of Ensign Zemo?” he asked, voice once again perfectly level.

“The Ensign was not who he seemed. He was a Skrull spy, secretly working for the Kree. He tried to capture me, but I managed to get free and escape in one of their scout ships,” Tony heard from the console and felt his blood run cold.

A Skrull spy had gotten through all of their security checks? Managed to get himself recruited to the USS _Marvel_?

He shut off the audio link with the Kree ship before turning to Vision.

“You’re sure it’s her? You know that Skrulls can take the shape and voice of a person,” he asked, running his hand through his hair. He couldn’t risk bringing a Skrull spy in a Kree vessel onboard his beloved ship.

“I am absolutely certain. Not even a Skrull can replicate a Vulcan marriage bond. It is her,” Vision assured him, and Tony nodded. He had to trust him.

They were close enough to the _Marvel_ to be able to establish contact with the ship, and Tony hailed them, waiting for his communications officer to respond.

“ _Avenger_ to _Marvel_ , this is Captain Stark. Please prepare the shuttlebay for the landing of two ships. Do not fire on the Kree vessel. I repeat, do not fire on the Kree vessel. It is piloted by Lieutenant Maximoff,” he stressed, sighing in relief when he got the confirmation from his crew. Suddenly remembering that the two would probably need a moment of privacy after such a stressful affair, he added: “and make sure that the shuttlebay is empty. I want to make sure the alien ship is properly quarantined before we set foot outside of the room.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Vision stated after a moment, but, despite his calmness, Tony knew that the Vulcan must have been counting the seconds until seeing his wife again.

 _His wife_!

Tony shook his head.

It would certainly take a while to get used to the notion.

The moment they both landed, Tony knew there was no force that could have kept Vision in his seat. Secrecy or not, he was out of the shuttle in an instant, watching as the Kree vessel’s doors opened.

Lieutenant Maximoff emerged, looking quite alright aside from a few cuts and bruises, and she and Vision ran towards each other, relief obvious on both of their faces, before finally embracing. They didn’t kiss, at least not in the human way, but the intense intimacy of what he was witnessing forced Tony to look away. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, foreheads gently touching and eyes closed as their fingers slowly glided together in a Vulcan kiss.

What was it called again?

 _Oesta_? _Ozhesta_? O-something, in any case, at least if his memory of a drunken night in their shared dorm room served him well. He had pestered Vision for hours until the Vulcan finally relented and agreed to tell him “something, _anything_ about Vulcan intimacy.”

Tony’s eyes wandered back towards them, their own eyes now open, and he realized how blind he must have been all this time.

How had he never noticed it before? That softness in his eyes as he looked at her?

He supposed that question was easy enough to answer. Since childhood he had been bombarded with flashy, easily discernible displays of affection; kisses, hugs, grand declarations of love… His human nature had made sure that the subtler, more hidden signs of love that the Vulcans preferred would fly right over his head.

Tony cleared his throat, deciding they’ve had enough of alone time, and let out a teasing: “how about you two move it to the bedroom?”

There was a brief moment of panic in Lieutenant Maximoff's eyes when she noticed him, quickly stepping away from Vision, and Tony barely stopped himself from snorting. Ha! As if _that_ would have made a difference after the reunion he had seen!

Her gaze moved from him towards Vision, her posture visibility relaxing after a few moments, and it all suddenly clicked in Tony’s mind.

Oh!

They had to be doing the mind talking thing!

“Wait! How often do you _do_ that? Do you gossip about us behind our backs? I know _I_ would if I had that ability,” Tony chuckled, shaking his head as he thought about all the shifts the two of them had probably spent talking to each other, with the rest of the crew none the wiser.

“Oh, yes,” Lieutenant Maximoff replied, smirking. “ _Especially_ about you, Sir.”

Tony gasped, throwing his hand towards his chest in mock horror, and he could have sworn he saw Vision stand even stiffer than he usually did. Tony couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore, and neither could the Lieutenant, her laughter ringing through the shuttlebay. He had finally found a chink in the Vulcan’s seemingly impenetrable armor, and he would have so much fun exploiting it.

There was a spark in the Lieutenant’s eyes as she looked at Vision, and even in her current state, hair sticking out of her ponytail and her uniform torn in various places, Tony had to admit that his friend had good taste.

She was beautiful, even though not quite his type. He had always preferred blondes, but seeing them together right now, he couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together.

Fire and ice…

Who would have thought?

 _Two years!_ Tony mouthed when Lieutenant Maximoff caught his gaze again, and she just shrugged, a smug grin coloring her features.

“Captain, is everything alright?” Carol’s voice rang through his communicator, reminding Tony that they couldn’t just stand around forever.

“Yes, we’re alright. I’ll be back on the Bridge in ten minutes,” he replied, before heading closer towards the pair in front of him.

“Lieutenant, please report to sickbay and get those cuts looked at. I will expect your full report tomorrow, but take the rest of today off,” he demanded, letting her know with a wink he was aware of exactly what that day off would consist of.

She blushed slightly before replying with a quick: “yes, Sir” and leaving the shuttlebay.

“Captain, may I speak with you in private?” Vision asked just as he was about to follow and Tony stopped in his tracks, nodding for the Vulcan to join him.

“While I don’t consider that I had another option, I am aware that my behavior today has been entirely unbecoming of a Starfleet officer. I will hand in my resignation tomorrow,” he stated solemnly, and Tony couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

For all the sense of calm and propriety they tried to project, Vulcans certainly did have a flair for the dramatic.

“Nonsense. I won’t accept it,” he replied, propping his hands on his hips.

“It is the only logical option, Captain. I had always prided myself in my sense of duty. And it still stands strong, but my duty is first and foremost towards my wife. If forced to make a choice, it will always be her,” Vision stated, and Tony could appreciate his honesty.

He also knew that, while the Lieutenant might have been Vision’s first priority, the _Marvel_ was still a close second, and he would never risk any harm coming to their beloved ship. To his own stubborn self? Definitely, as displayed, but to their ship? Not a chance. There was no one on the crew Tony could trust more, despite his secret private life, and he wasn’t quite ready to give up on him.

“Look, Vision, I get it. She’s important to you, but there’s a simpler way to get around that issue. If anything like this happens again, I don’t want you to resign! I just want you to talk to me before making reckless decisions! I’m your Captain, but I’m also your friend. You know I’ll stand by you and help you figure out a solution, as long as it doesn’t threaten my ship,” he insisted.

Vision was silent for a long moment, surprise clear in his eyes, before he spoke again.

“Thank you, Captain. Since it appears I will remain your First Officer, I would like to ask you for your discretion. That is, I would prefer for my marriage to remain a secret. At least for now,” Vision stated.

He hadn’t even needed to ask, it wasn’t his secret to tell, but now that he had, Tony decided to tease him a bit.

“How do you even keep such a thing as a marriage a secret? And for two years? I thought I knew you,” he complained, faking hurt.

Vision shrugged slightly, a barely perceptible move of his shoulders.

“I never meant to cause you any discomfort. It was simply what we deemed was best for us. For her,” he insisted, and Tony could understand.

She didn’t need people questioning her abilities just because she was involved with her superior. Tony himself had no doubts about them. She had escaped her Kree captors and flew their ship all by herself! If that wasn’t talent, Tony wasn’t sure what was.

“I know. But you see? She’s got this. She didn’t even need saving,” Tony said. The moment when Vision almost threw his whole career away now seemed like a lifetime ago, but to think it could have been for nothing… Tony couldn’t help but shake his head.

“I am perfectly aware that Lieutenant Maximoff is more than capable of taking care of herself. And yet, she is my wife. I cannot help but want to protect her, in any way I can. Besides, things could have taken a much different turn, that spy could have wounded her or killed her, and I would have been trapped on this ship, unable to help,” Vision stated, and how Tony ever could have thought him emotionless was beyond him.

Except, deep down he knew that the reason for it was clear. Vision had never before talked about _her_ , save for his reports on the performance of all the staff, and Tony wondered if, after he had calmed down and managed to process everything that had happened, Vision’s voice would still betray how much she meant to him.

He certainly looked forward to catching it and calling him out on it in private.

“The point is, they didn’t. She’s fine, Vision. I do have one question, though,” Tony said, a corner of his mouth quirking upwards already.

Vision raised one of his eyebrows, wordlessly urging him to continue, as he often did, and Tony allowed the smirk to fully form on his face.

“Do you call her Lieutenant in the bedroom as well? Or even better, does she call you _Commander_?” he teased with a wink, and, even if just for a split second, Tony was certain the tips of the Vulcan’s pointed ears turned green.

“I have no comment on the matter,” Vision replied, his face once again a mask of emotionlessness, but his body’s tiny betrayal was answer enough for Tony.

“No comments needed,” he cackled, shaking his head and heading towards the exit when he realized his first officer wasn’t following.

He cast a look over his shoulder and saw him standing there, head slightly tilted and brows knitted together in confusion as he observed him.

“Oh, and Vision,” he added, barely keeping the laughter out of his voice. “It’s been a long day. Take the rest of it off and make sure to show your wife just how happy you are to have her back,” he commanded with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Captain, happiness-” Vision started, but Tony raised his palm to stop him.

“Is an emotion and you, my Vulcan friend, are definitely capable of feeling it. You can deny it all you want, but I know what I saw today,” he finished for him. “Now get out of here and make _love_ to your wife. That’s an order!”

Tony turned back towards the exit, a wide grin spread over his face, but that didn’t stop him from seeing a ghost of a smile on his friend’s lips in his peripheral vision.

The last thing he heard as the doors hissed closed behind him was a quiet: “yes, Sir.”

***

 _Captain’s Log, Stardate_ _2358.27. The case of the missing shuttle has been resolved. We had been infiltrated by a Skrull spy working for the Kree, but thanks to Lieutenant Maximoff’s abilities and quick thinking, no serious damage had been done and we now have a fully functional Kree scout ship. We will unload the vessel at the nearest planet with a large enough research facility._

***

 _Captain’s Log, supplemental. While there is no doubt in my mind that the person that we brought back to the USS_ Marvel _is the real Lieutenant Wanda Maximoff, and not a Skrull spy impersonating her, one can never be too cautious. I have decided to assign the Lieutenant new quarters directly across those belonging to my First Officer as a precaution, since no unusual behavior could escape a Vulcan’s watchful eyes. The Lieutenant has accepted the change without a complaint._

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. In my mind, Tony's voice when he asks "Married?!" is the exact same RDJ uses for "Maybe?!" at 1:35 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLWJ9L_3fto
> 
> And anyway, it just has me cackling lol


End file.
